K-State's pursuit of Malek Harris falls in place

Malek Harris recently signed with Kansas State University to become part of their basketball team.

When Buzz Williams accepted the job as basketball coach at Virginia Tech, his departure from Marquette began a chain of events that eventually brought four-star recruit Malek Harris to Kansas State.

Harris had orally committed to Marquette but re-opened his recruitment when Williams changed jobs. Harris kept Virginia Tech on his list, but K-State was quick to jump back into the picture.

“When coach Williams took the job at Virginia Tech, we looked at schools that recruited Malek previously,” said Mike Mullins, who coached Harris for three years on the Illinois Wolves AAU team. “We were only looking at schools that hadn’t filled his position and Kansas State was one of those. Malek was able to follow their team a little bit during the winter so he was a little more knowledgeable about them.”

Harris, a 6-foot-7 small forward, signed a letter of intent with K-State on Sunday. His decision came down to a comfort level with the Wildcat coaching staff and players, his fit within the system, the team’s established success with five straight trips to the NCAA Tournament — the last two under coach Bruce Weber — and location with Manhattan not too far from Harris’ home in Chicago.

“I thought they did a good job recruiting him,” Mullins said. “They did a good job laying out the recruiting picture as to how he fit into what they do and how he can be successful there, academically and basketball-wise.

“Malek had been through the process previously and was looking for certain things. He had a good visit and was able to picture himself there and came back from there very excited about the opportunity.”

K-State was looking for a small forward/wing player to complete the 2014 recruiting class, which also includes 6-10 junior college power forward Stephen Hurt and 6-5 shooting guard Tre Harris, who is from Edwardsville, Ill., but not related to Malek.

The Wildcats missed on Marvin Clark, a 6-7 forward from Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, who signed with Michigan State. That left an opening when Harris — who was No. 80 on the Rivals.com top 150 recruiting rankings (Clark was No. 146) — became available.

Mullins was heavily involved in the recruiting process, especially since Harris did not play his senior year in high school. Harris was suspended the entire season at Sandburg High School for disciplinary reasons under the school’s honor code, also serving an 11-game suspension at the start of his junior season before returning to average 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists a game.

Harris said he felt a strong connection with K-State associate head coach Chris Lowery, and during his visit he played one-on-one against Wildcat assistant Chester Frazier.

“I do know coach Lowery very well because my AAU coach is like a brother to him,” Harris said. “He talked to me a lot about him and got to know him and coach Weber very well. I can see me being very comfortable playing for them and being around them every day.”

Mullins said his familiarity with Lowery — the former head coach at Southern Illinois — and Weber — who coached at Illinois before K-State — wasn’t a decisive factor in Harris' decision.

“Coach Lowery and I have had a long relationship,” Mullins said. “He has the ability to connect with people of all backgrounds and ages and he was able to connect with Malek and his mother. We didn’t focus on the relationship I had with coach Weber or coach Lowery because I’m not the one that would be going to Kansas State. It was up to Malek and his family what they felt.”

Harris brings a versatile game to K-State and a strong upside.

“His biggest strength is his versatility and his motor,” Mullins said. “He’s added about 13 pounds of muscle in the past year (he now weighs 200 pounds) and has grown about three-quarters of an inch and he’ll continue to get bigger and stronger.

“He can guard 1 through 4. He’ll play the 3, but he’s a tough match-up for people on both ends. He can force a mismatch off the bounce and defensively he can switch off the ball screen on the 3 or 4. That versatility allows him to be on the floor in all kinds of situations. He’s a hybrid player and has the ability to do what you need him to do.”